Baked Fish with Tomatillos Salsa

My friends and I got together yesterday to make a tomatillo salsa dish. I wrote the recipe for this salsa dish in my blog months ago --posted on December 8, 2014. My friend, Melodee’s, family loves this salsa, so she suggested to me that we should gather some close friends  and have fun making it . Most Mexican salsa recipes are very tractable. I seldom buy salsa at the grocery store, simply because it's so easy to make at home. After completion of this dish, we had such a great time. Melodee also had another idea to use for this dish rather than just eat salsa with chips. Her idea is using this dish for supper with grilled chicken or fish. This is an excellent idea for a quick meal and good nutrition. Because I have salsa available in the refrigerator; I will try a new recipe in honor of Melodee. I also want to serve this dish with American potato salad as prepared from my blog’s recipe posted on March 25, 2015. So let's say hello to South meets West.

Ingredients:
Two 6 oz. tuna fillets or any kind of fish available
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
1/4 tsp salt for each fillet
1 tbs lemon juice and zest of lemon

American potato salad

Directions:
In a baking dish, place fish. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, lemon juice, and zest. Bake in preheated oven set to 400°. Bake for 15 minutes. Then top with salsa. Continue to bake for another 5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with fork. Remove from oven and serve with potato salad.

 

 

Asian Spinach Wrap

I decided to make Asian wrap dishes that are sold in the stalls of food stores. All these items are presented very beautifully to create a pleasant sight to the eyes of consumers. However, because of my nature of loving to cook, I usually decide to prepare this dish for myself.  Costco has many wraps in their cooler, and they all look fantastic. I avoided some of the wraps that have butter, cheese, and ham. Costco Asian wraps most caught my attention. When I read the nutritional facts and the other contents, I noticed that I could accomplish this dish at home and use a peanut dressing. I immediately bought a few items related to this dish. I wanted to buy the spinach wrap that would have made this wrap recipe easy, but Costco did not sell the spinach wrap. So, I have to make the wrap at home first. I hope this recipe will be the dish that one can be very proud to serve to guests or bring to a potluck.

Ingredients:
Spinach wrap ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups fresh spinach
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz. coconut oil or vegetable shortening
For the wrap:
2 cups roasted chicken, shredded
1 avocado, cut into thick strips
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/2 English cucumber, sliced in thin lenghtwise
1 cup bean sprouts
A few red leaf lettuce leaves, chives, basil, mints, and cilantro
Ramen noodles (Use ½ of 3 oz. package)
Peanut dressing:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
2 tbs hoisin sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp curry powder
3 tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped onions

Oil for stir-frying

Directions:
To make wrappers:
Blanch spinach in boiling water and drain.
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add spinach in food processor and pulse a few times. In stand mixer add flour mixture coconut oil and chopped spinach. Process and add 1/4 cup of water to the dough. Process until dough comes together.

Sprinkle countertop lightly with flour. Remove dough from the machine and knead until smooth. Cover and let rest while you are making peanut sauce.

When the dough is relaxed, divide dough into 6 portions. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out into an 6 inch in diameter circle.

 Heat a cast-iron skillet  and place the dough onto the pan. Pan fry the dough on medium heat until a bubble starts on one side. Flip the dough and cook the other side. Stack them together so the heat can keep them soft.

To make peanut sauce:
In a sauté pan, heat 1 tbs coconut oil. Add garlic and onions and cook until fragrant on low heat. Add curry powder and stir for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the peanut dressing. Cook and stir until smooth. Adjust seasoning again with soy sauce.
 Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add Ramen noodles and cook for 1 minute. Drain.
In a saucepan, add 1/2 cup of peanut oil and fry the Ramen noodles until crispy.

 Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb the oil (you can buy crispy noodles that are sold in grocery stores to avoid this step).

In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, except the red lettuce, avocado,  cucumber and herbs. Add half of the peanut dressing. Mix well.

To assemble the wrap:
Place each of the spinach wraps on a clean Counter Top or large plate. Add 1 tbsp of peanut sauce to cover the  wrap

 Start with lettuce, two  avocado, cucumber, crispy noodles herbs and 1/4 cup of filling for each of the wraps. Roll each wrap up as a log.

 Cut each of them in half to easily hold or whatever is comfortable for you. Serve with extra peanut sauce on the side. Sprinkle with chili flakes.

Stir-Fried Thai Chicken with Basil (Gà Xào Với Rau Quế)

On the streets of Thailand, travelers share the same thing in common, which is standing in line to enjoy a traditional dish of this country, It is stir-fried chicken with basil, also known as Gai Pad Graprow.  Actually, depending on each region of Thailand, this dish is processed in many different ways. Some Thai cooks use  ground meat and others use pork, beef, or seafood as a replacement for ground meat. Of course, for vegans who do not eat meat, tofu will be used instead. But the main ingredient of this dish is basil, which is not a substitute for any other kind of herbs. Other ingredients that are used in processing this dish to enhance the taste of this dish are normally the colorful sweet bell peppers, such as red, yellow, orange. I think all the traditional dishes around the world, which travelers will experience as they visit different countries, will have different ingredients and taste and will be prepared in slightly different ways. However, with the ingenuity of the great chefs, each traditional dish will be shown as a little bit different but still maintain the main nature ingredients of it. I love to prepare meals in the summer, when my herbs garden provides a large amount of basil, which is a fairly expensive herb to use for stir-fried dishes. Also, this dish has plenty of garlic to create a sensational aroma in the kitchen. The way of cooking this dish is simple but will make visitors feel like they are standing on the streets of Thailand excitedly waiting for their meals.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, thickly sliced
1 tbs corn starch
1 tbs cooking wine
Vegetables:
1 1/2  cups total of red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, cut into ½ inch squares
1 small white onion, cut into ½ inch squares
5 garlic cloves, sliced
Fresh hot chili or chili flakes, your choice
2 cups total of basil, combination of mainly Thai or cinnamon basil, roughly chopped
Stir-fry sauce ingredients:
1/2 cup water
1 tbs each of oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sweet Thai chili sauce, and red wine vinegar
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbs coconut oil or peanut oil

Garnish with chopped green onions and serve with rice

Directions:
Combine chicken breasts in a bowl. Add cornstarch and cooking wine. Let marinate in refrigerator for one hour.

Combine stir-fry sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Prepare the vegetables and set aside.
Heat half of oil in a wok until hot. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Remove from wok and place on bowl. 

Add  half of the oil into the wok. Add garlic and onions and stir until fragrant (be careful not to let the garlic burn (about one minute on medium heat).

Add bell pepper and sauce.

 Bring to boil. Return chicken back in the wok to join with the sauce. Season with salt, if needed. Cook until the sauce has thickened. Stir in green onions and basil.

 

 

Save some basil for garnish. Remove from heat and serve.

Corn, Beans, & Sesame Seeds Pulp Sanwich Bread

Ok! After making core and milk, this is another recipe that uses the good pulp that is left over from making the milk. Actually, I learned this method from my mom. She is a mom who took care of her 10 children during the Vietnam War. She taught us that nothing is a waste, and the most important thing is food. I always keep this upbringing  in mind; therefore, a bread machine will help me accomplish this task. Throughout my blog, I posted many kinds of bread using a bread machine. Today, using the corn, beans, & sesame seeds pulp, I will make a sandwich loaf.

Ingredients:
1and 1/4 cup pulp
1/4 cup water
2 tbs coconut oil or magarine
1 egg
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
3 and 1/2 cups bread flour
2 tsp active dry yeast

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in the bread machine pan. Press start. Observe the dough as it kneads. After 5 to 10 minutes, if the dough appears dry and stiff, add more water one tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly tacky to the touch.
I always bake my bread in the oven because I like the shape of a loaf pan, but if you have a good new bread machine, just follow the instructions for your machine to make this bread.

Butter a 9” x 5” loaf pan or the dough can be divided into two small loaf and set aside. After the dough finishes rising the first time, remove the dough from the bread pan machine. Dust your hands with some flour and shape dough and place it seam side down into the prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic or cloth and let the dough rise for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350° and bake bread for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.

Tapioca Boiled Vegetarian Cake (Bánh Bột Lọc Trần Chay)

"Bánh bột lọc trần chay" translates as tapioca boiled vegetarian cake. These little cakes come from the central region of Vietnam. Among the famous dishes for guests who travel to Vietnam, this little cake, which looks like Chinese dumplings, is also classified among traditional special dishes of Vietnam. Usually, there are two ways to prepare this cake. Central people often meticulously use banana leaves to wrap these cakes, very lovely, which indicates that the women from this part of our country are very dexterous or neat-handed. Then the cakes are steamed. The filling of the cake is usually pork and shrimp. After, perforce, this food item went to the South of Vietnam, it is no longer wrapped with banana leaves. It gets easier to prepare by only boiling the cakes. Because the dumpling now is without the wrapper, it also has another name, "Bánh bột lọc trần" because the word "trần" means naked. The filling is the same, but when the guest is present in these tapioca dumpling cakes, each little cake is only decorated on top of with scallion oil. Today, I will introduce this tapioca cake by using tofu to replace the pork so that those who do not eat meat will enjoy this as a specialty vegetarian dish. The primary difference from the cake wrapped in banana leaves is that the dough is softer than the cake boiled tapioca cake. As a personal preference, I myself enjoy making this dish the simpler way of the Southerners by not using banana leaves, and the filling is replaced with tofu, which is in keeping with the daily culinary style of my family.

Ingredients:
Dough ingredients:
14 oz. bag tapioca starch (Cock brand or Buddha brand)

1 1/3 cups boiling water
1 tbs oil
1 tsp salt
Filling ingredients:
8 oz. firm tofu, fried and finely diced
10 oz. fungus, soaked in water, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
2 dried Shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/2 cup jicama, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp paprika
2 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper

Scallion oil
1 cup chopped onions (with or without the white parts)
1/2 cup peanut oil
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
In a stand mixer, combine tapioca starch and salt. Ad hot water and Turn the machine on low add oil; . Turn machine on medium and beat the flour until forming a sticky mass. Cover dough and let sit for 10 minutes. Turn dough out on the counter top; dust hand with lightly flour and knead dough until elastic, about 5 minutes, Cover

In a sauté pan, heat oil. Add garlic and shallots. Stir until fragrant. Add ketchup and paprika, two kinds of mushrooms, carrot, jicama, and tofu. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Season with soy sauce, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Remove from pan. Let cool (the filling can be prepared ahead of time). Cover and refrigerate.

Heat the oil in a saucepan until smoking. Remove from heat and add scallion and salt. Let it steep at room temperature.

Divide dough into 2 equal parts.Cover the other part to prevent the dough from drying out. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour. Roll dough out as a long rope about 1 inch in diameter. Cut rope into many small equal portions. Cover dough and work with one piece of dough at a time. Use a small rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a 3 inch circle.

Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the circle.

 Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together to seal.

Set the finished dumplings on a tray and cover with a damp cloth. Continue in the same way to finish the dough and filling. At this point, the dumplings can be frozen until ready to use.

When ready to use, bring a pot of water to boil. Prepare a large bowl with cold water on the side.

 Add about 10 dumplings at a time in rolling boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes or until dumplings  float and are clear. Use a slotted spoon to remove cooked cakes from the hot water and  drop them into cold water.

Let cool in this water for 1 minute. Remove from cold water. Place on a serving plate and top each cake with scallion oil. Serve with vegetarian dipping sauce or sweet soy sauce.